About Me

Born in August 1887 in Awsworth Notts, to Henry and Sarah Lamin. Elder Sisters Catherine (Kate), Mary Esther and Sarah Anne(Annie) and Elder brother John (Jack).
Educated at Awsworth Board School, just outside Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England.
I served with honour in the 9th Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment seeing front line action in Flanders and Northern Italy from the end of 1916 to January 1920.

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Link to The very first Posts

Helpful Hints

From 1st March 1918 the leap year in 2008 takes the synchronicity of the days and dates away. Decision: I will publish letters a day in advance so that the days of the week coincide, rather than the date.

"New" readers please note that the entries on each page are in reverse order, oldest at the bottom.

It doesn't work quite like a book. To make sense of the whole blog, take the link to the "First Posts", work from the bottom entry upwards and then take the "Newer posts" link at the bottom of each page for the next installment.

Link to The First Post. (New Readers)

I have just received a small packet from you and was very pleased with it. It was a good job it was something that would keep as it was the dated Nov 8th. I have also received a letter Nov 14th. The lady you are marrying I can remember quite well. Well I hope you are married by now. I can remember two lady teachers Miss James and a Miss Meredith who were at East Oxford. We have had some good marches this last fortnight which I should have enjoyed better had we not quite so much to carry. The weather has been just right for marching the roads are very level out here you can see all the big hills or mountains in the distance with snow on them the scenery would be grand in summer time. I am pleased they are going on all right and home and that you are keeping well. glad to hear about Kate. I think it is very good of them to buy you a present worth about £10 it should be a good one. We are getting on better for food now but very short of bread. Don’t forget to put Italy instead of France I hope you have a Merry xmas and a Happy new year. I’m going to try to get a card to send you for Christmas. Write back as soon as you can and don’t forget.

Siegfried Sassoon, a world war one poet, with a very dark, cynical and sad viewpoint on war, received a medal for bravery, killing four German men in a machine gun nest single handedly. If I remember correctly, he said: 'It was not bravery, I had no choice. Either I lived, and they died, or they lived and I died'. The sanctity of human life should be held up at all times, but perhaps only those like Harry can really understand what goes on when at war. In my own opinion, it was still a useless waste of human life. Think how our world might be if it had not happened. But it happened, and may happen again.

How different our world is from those soldiers that faught in the 1914-18 world war; or is it?

We have more troops away in far off countries than ever before and, although communications are far better and life prospect infinity, one wonders what today's equivalent of Harry will seem like in another three generations?

Thank God that we survive because of others sacrifices! Those of us who have never experienced war cannot and will never be able to appreciate the horrors of it!

Will we as a race ever learn that war solves nothing, it only creates thousands of lost lives and many more scared for ever.

Yet, in a way we have the 21st century's Harrys serving in Iraq and Afghanistan; families still facing the dreaded call signifying the loss of a loved on fighting for his Queen & country. One wonders how future generations will view war with the benefit of videos etc?

Friends have told me that if you have never experienced war it is impossible to understand it; I thank God that I have no "understanding" of their suffering.

Jack is fighting for us all if it was not for him and the boys in world war two things mat have been different i call these wars the meaningful wars. The one that is being waged now is a meaningless war my son is fighting for what we don't know?